Atkins reviews attendance policyATKINS — The Atkins Board of Education tabled updating its attendance policy in regards to extracurricular activities following a lengthy discussion during its regular meeting Monday. Atkins High School Principal Margaret Robinson said she helped write the current policy to "help protect instruction time" after noticing a high occurrence of students being checked out who would participate in school events later that night. Robinson gave the ex...

Dardanelle students earn $64,000DARDANELLE — Students at Dardanelle are reaping the rewards of their hard work in the classroom. Dardanelle Primary School Principal Sue Ann Jernigan informed the Dardanelle Board of Education on Monday of two awards the students were recently awarded for academic achievement. "We have some pretty exciting news. We were notified by the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) that we are receiving an award as part of the Arkansas School Recognit...

Hector school district enrollment, funds upHECTOR — Superintendent Walt Davis told the Hector Board of Education during its regular meeting Monday that the district’s seventh- and eighth-grade classes had been given an Outstanding Educational Performance Award by the state’s Office of Educational policy in recognition of their top-10 ranking in literacy improvement last year. He added they were the third most-improved in the northwest region of the state. Davis also presented the board...

RSD discusses new positionsThe Russellville School District policy committee discussed the possibility of creating positions during a called meeting Thursday. Alene Bynum, assistant superintendent of personnel and instruction, presented the new positions of Russellville High School (RHS) test and career coordinator and district reading dyslexia therapist. Bynum said the RHS test and career coordinator position was derived from the recently implemented board goals, which...

Dardanelle Envirothon wins stateDARDANELLE — Academic awards abound at Dardanelle High School, where a five-student team recently brought home a first-place finish in the Arkansas Envirothon State Contest. Students Woodrow Ramey, Erin Hall, Tyler Corbin, Cherokee Dulie and Drew Bailey represented Dardanelle in the competition on Nov. 23-24 in Conway. The team won by 30 points over Haas Hall High School and 14 other district-winning teams. Science teacher Jeff Woods prepared ...

Workshop highlights Marine CorpsOver the summer, Stacee Frazier, scholarship coordinator at Russellville High School (RHS), was chosen to participate in the Marine Corps Educator’s Workshop in San Diego, Calif. The five-day workshop allowed high school administrators, teachers, community leaders and youth group leaders the opportunity to see what it is like to be a Marine and recruit. The goal of the program is to give attendees a better understanding of what Marines goes th...

Dover agrees to postpone electionDOVER — The Dover Board of Education approved changing the date of the district's special election for a proposed millage increase during a called meeting Monday. Pope County Election Coordinator Sherry Polsgrove and commissioners Portia Short and Carol Shoptaw attended the meeting to request the board change the election date after Gov. Mike Beebe set the runoff election for Arkansas Senate District 16 seat on the same date — Feb. 10, 2015. P...

Dwight Elementary choir concertDwight Elementary third- and fourth-grade students perform a choir concert on Monday at the school cafeteria. The group will perform its concert later this month at the state Capitol in Little Rock.

Arkansas Tech ECED students donate books to local kidsThirty-six early childhood education students from Arkansas Tech University donated 130 books to Save the Children Head Start of Russellville on Monday, Dec. 1. The books will be used in the one-on-one reading program at Save the Children Head Start of Russellville. Children in the program are able to take one of the books home each night. Parents or guardians read the books to their children and then return a signed form indicating the amount...

RHS Quiz Bowl plays last tourney of the yearGLENWOOD — The RHS Cyclone Quiz Bowl team recently traveled to Centerpoint High School for the Centerpoint Invitational Tournament. The Cyclone varsity team finished the tournament with a 4-3 record. In the first game, the Cyclones drew defending 6A state champion Benton and was defeated by the Panthers 325-265. In game two, the Cyclones drew Episcopal Collegiate junior varsity. Russellville easily defeated Episcopal 365-170. In game 3, Russel...

Free food for students ending in Lamar, ClarksvilleFORT SMITH (AP) — School officials in some small western Arkansas districts are looking for ways to replace the pending loss of a program that provided food at no cost to needy students during weekends. The Arkansas Rice Depot told districts in Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Scott and Sebastian counties that it will eliminate on Jan. 1 its backpack program that provides food for students to take home in backpacks each Friday. Lamar school...

2 RSD schools awardedRussellville School District (RSD) is pleased to announce The Arkansas School Recognition and Rewards Program has recognized two schools in the district for the second year in a row. Sequoyah Elementary and Russellville Junior High School (RJHS) were both awarded financial awards based on high student performance, student academic growth and for secondary schools, high graduation rate. The program rewards $100 per student who attends the schoo...

Dover sets special election Feb. 10DOVER — The Dover Board of Education completed the final paperwork for a special election to increase the millage and heard a report on efforts to make that election successful during its regular meeting Thursday. Dan Lovelady, former Dover superintendent now representing Beardsley Public Finance, presented the board with the state-mandated paperwork required to issue bonds if the increase passes. The proposal calls for bonds sufficient to ref...

Dardanelle learns to comply with new state lawBecause state educators noted high school students will need experience with digital-learning courses they will likely face in college, a new law is leaving local school districts with several options to comply. Act 1280 was passed in 2013 and mandated public school districts and charter schools to offer at least one digital learning course during this school year. Additionally, students are required to take a digital learning course as a requ...

Eaton, Davis share military experience with RJHS studentsRussellville Junior High School students were given a history lesson from two hometown heroes on Thursday. Part of a national initiative by the History Channel and Suddenlink, Take a Veteran to School Day provided students an opportunity to hear from retired military veterans Col. Mayor Bill Eaton and Lt. Col. Harold Davis. "We've done this across the region, and we feel the history and the education is important to our youth," Suddenlink Regi...

Clarksville honors two retiring employeesCLARKSVILLE — The Clarksville Board of Education honored two retiring employees with a combined 64 years of experience during its regular meeting Monday. Leo Villines and Norma White were each given a plaque for their dedication to the district during Something to Roar About, which details positive aspects about current events at the district. Villines was a custodian and bus driver at the district for 35 years, while White worked in food serv...

RSD workers concerned about outsourcingThe thought of outsourcing food services within the Russellville School District (RSD) has many employees concerned. Superintendent Randall Williams said the district recently turned in a request for proposals to procure food service management company services for the 2015-16 school year to the Arkansas Department of Education Child Nutrition Unit. If the district decides to hire a food service management company, it has three options regardi...

ACH teaches student healthy habitsOakland Heights Elementary School students went home Wednesday with a special treat — a coloring book, crayons, jump rope, toothbrush and toothpaste. A presentation from Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH) educated the elementary students about health and wellness. Healthy Habits was presented by ACH's Community Outreach Coordinator Jennifer Hurst, who spoke on hygiene, fitness and nutrition. Kristin Johnson, district nurse, said the program wa...

Atkins furthers 1:1 InitiativeATKINS — The Atkins Board of Education approved $39,000 to purchase 75 laptops as the next phase of its 1:1 Initiative program during its regular meeting Monday. The devices will be used by fifth- and sixth-grade students. "We will evaluate our next steps in our 1:1 Initiative as we move forward," Superintendent Mark Gotcher said. The Administration Building and Old Middle School Library will see improvements after the board approved the low b...